Sherlock And His Pathologist
by SilverFire07
Summary: Sherlock finds a way to thank Molly for her help in faking his suicide. A little Sherlock/Molly fluff and of course, the awesomeness of Sherlock!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Return**

**Summary : Sherlock finds a way to say "thank you" to Molly for her help in faking his suicide. Sherlolly, a little fluff and of course, the awesomeness of Sherlock!**

**Hello everyone! This is my first Sherlock fan fiction and I was a bit nervous about posting this chapter but I had a great time in writing it! I hope you all like it and if you do, don't forget to leave feedback. :)**

After a fairly normal day at Barts, or as normal as the day of a Morgue specialist could be, Molly Hooper finally winded up her work and signed off for the night. She hummed the tune of a song which had been stuck in her head since quite a while as she switched off the lights of her lab.

Still humming, she made her way through the eerily empty halls over to her assigned locker to collect her bag so she could head out. One might think that being surrounded by dead bodies all the time might have a bad effect on one's psych but Molly Hooper was used to it. The dead didn't scare her, neither did the dark. Unknowingly, it was one of her strongest points.

But today, for some reason, she felt uneasy. She glanced back over her shoulder before opening the door to her metal locker.

_Silly me. _She thought. _There is no one here…._

Her thought process came to a standstill as she opened the metal door and her eyes fell upon the mirror which was embedded inside the locker. She almost dropped her things as the reflection of a very familiar figure came into focus.

"Sherlock." She said breathily as she quickly turned around to face him.

"Hello, Molly. I see you have changed your hairstyle although the previous one suited you better. This one makes your face looks small." The corner of his lips lightly pulled up into a small smile. He looked the same as ever in his long black coat and impeccably tailored suit but at the same time, Molly sensed that something was wrong. Had he lost weight? And were those dark shadows beneath his eyes?

"W-when did you get back?" Molly asked him, instantly scolding herself for the slight stammer in her voice.

"About a day and few hours ago." He answered almost before she stopped speaking.

"So, you're here.." She trailed off, not knowing what to say further.

"Brilliant deduction, Molly." Sherlock said as he took a step towards her."I hope I am not spoiling your plans for tonight?"

"How did you know if I had any plans?" She blinked dumbly as she tucked a loose strand of her hair consciously behind her ear.

"You have freshly renewed your nail polish and there is a drastic change in your hairstyle. In your left pocket are two tickets for a… movie, I might deduce? So you clearly have plans with friends. You have started applying perfume as well, Chanel Number 5, if I am not wrong and your face has subtle hints of makeup so clearly, the person you are going out with is of romantic interest to you. Wasn't that hard to figure out." He winked as he completed his analysis and Molly let out a short, breathless laugh.

"Well, I have missed this." She shyly waved a hand in Sherlock's direction. "And yes, y-you're right, but it's nothing which I can't cancel-"

"Postpone." He said abruptly.

"Sorry?"

"You will not cancel your plans. You will postpone them." He nodded at Molly, who merely looked confused but went with it.

"Okay..." She replied meekly, her voice taking a higher pitch which it often did whenever she was nervous.

"So, I will need a space to stay for the night. Maximum two." He replied as he beckoned Molly to follow him out. "Would it be too much if I stay over at your place tonight? I can't quite risk going back to Baker Street at the moment and apparently John is so pissed off with me that he couldn't even bear the sight of me…"

"It will be no problem!" Molly said a bit too quickly. If Sherlock noticed, which he most certainly did, he did not show it.

"Great. So, shall we?" He held the glass door open and Molly stepped through, mildly surprised. She still couldn't believe that after two long years, Sherlock had decided to pay her a visit at Barts.

"Don't think too hard." Sherlock muttered under his breath.

"Huh?" She squeaked.

"Whenever you are thinking intently, you begin to frown." Sherlock stated it casually as he took a look at the over cast London sky. It was drizzling lightly. "Doesn't suit you."

"Right." She nodded as she followed Sherlock's gaze and subtly tried to re arrange her expression. "It's raining."

"You should get an award for stating the obvious all the time." And before Molly could form a coherent response, he stepped into the rain with the collar of his coat turned up against the wind. Molly had no choice but to follow him.

"I suppose we will have to get a taxi." Molly said as she tried to keep up with him. His long strides covered as much distance as two of Molly's scurrying ones and by the time they reached the end of the parking lot, Molly was totally soaked and out of breath.

"Shut up." He suddenly rounded up on Molly, his piercing grey eyes boring into her ordinary brown ones.

"But I didn't even say anything!" Molly replied indignantly, rubbing her arms with her hands to maintain some warmth.

"Your teeth are chattering and I am not able to think. I need to think!" He snapped at her. It had nearly stopped raining but the strong wind was not making things easier.

"Well it's n-not my fault that it's raining-"

"Was."

"Well, _was_ raining!"

"Here-" Before Molly could get another word out; Sherlock shrugged out of his black outer coat and draped it around Molly's shoulders. "Now, shut up." And with that, he turned around on his heel and hailed a taxi which, luckily for them, was passing by.

She stared at him dumbly as she clutched the coat around her against the strong winds. As she had gotten up this morning to bright sunshine streaming out of her windows, there were two things which she hadn't expected at all. One- The weather turning bad.

Two, Sherlock showing up out of the blue. Obviously.

"Are you getting in or will you prefer to come in a different taxi?" Sherlock's annoyed voice broke through her thoughts.

"What? No, of course I am coming." She hastily moved towards the taxi, almost slipping twice in her short journey and breathed a sigh of relief when the welcoming warm blast of air streaming in through the taxi's heater hit her face.

"You're nervous. You are fidgeting around in your seat; you are clearly sweating even in weather like this and your face is redder than usual, which I might deduce, is caused by my presence." The corner of Sherlock's mouth briefly turned up into a small smirk.

"No…I-it's just…" Molly trailed off while she desperately dabbed her forehead with her handkerchief. This isn't how it was supposed to go, she thought. She had dreamed about Sherlock coming back to London for quite some time now and this is not how it was supposed to go. At all.

"So, why did you think I'd take a different taxi?" She suddenly asked him, totally intent on changing the topic.

"So that you would not be seen with me, obviously." Sherlock answered. He raised his eyebrows like it was the most obvious explanation available.

"And why would I want that?" Molly frowned but quickly straightened her expression lest Sherlock pass another comment on her appearance.

"Human mind works in a complex way. There are numerous reasons why you would not want to be seen with me-"

Molly noticed that the taxi driver was shooting them uneasy glances from the rearview mirror, clearly perplexed by Sherlock's way of speaking.

"I narrowed down to a list of twelve possibilities-"

"I'd just like to hear the most obvious one." Molly cut in quickly, for her sake as well as for the taxi driver's.

"As you wish." Sherlock nodded. "So, as I was saying, the most obvious being that -"Sherlock took a deep breath "That I am not famous anymore. Not for the right reasons, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Molly asked him, unable to control her frown this time.

"Think, Molly, think!" He suddenly burst out, his eyes glowing like silver embers. "I faked my own death with your help, escaped the most notorious criminal London has ever seen and "died" as a fake genius in everyone's eyes. I am sure I must have made it to every newspaper's front page for all the wrong reasons." He finished darkly. His expression looked like he had tasted a particularly bitter lemon.

"What? No! I mean…yes, that did happen but you have been cleared of all the false allegations, Sherlock." She finished her sentence in a whisper. "I thought you'd know that."

"I do know." He replied just as quietly.

"And," Molly began with boldness that she never knew existed within her "I'd never think of you like that. I helped you fake your own death, for god's sake. "She muttered.

"Thank you, Molly. That's a relief to hear." Sherlock nodded as he looked out of the window.

"Glad we cleared that out." She stated simply while the taxi came to a halt in front of her house. When Sherlock made no move to get out, she sighed and paid the taxi driver his fare. Sherlock stepped out, with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Oh, your coat-" Molly started removing it but Sherlock stepped ahead of her and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. He moved ahead of her and went to stand in front of her house, his hand out stretched towards her. "Keys."

"I…how exactly did you know which house was mine?" She asked him, perplexed, as she fished for keys in the pocket of her jeans.

"Pink flower pots on the windows and a cat shaped door knocker. Wasn't hard to figure out." He drawled as he impatiently beckoned to her for the keys.

"Right." She blushed as she handed him the keys. Within seconds, they were inside her house and she just awkwardly stood at the entrance while Sherlock inspected each and every surface like a hawk.

"Pink, pink PINK!" Sherlock bellowed as he thrust a baby pink cushion onto the floor "How do you manage to live in this place?" He rounded up on her, his eyes wide and unbelieving. "This-this place is full of alarming and abhorrent shades of pink!"

"That's….a bit…"

"Even the carpet is part pink!"

"….offending."

Sherlock paused in his tracks and Molly was strongly reminded of a deer caught in headlights of a car.

"Right, I….apologize for my uncharacteristically rude behavior." He cleared his throat "I tend to forget what I am doing without John pointing out the normal aspects of human life. So yeah…pink." He cracked a smile which looked as if it took a lot of effort to conjure. "Will do."

Molly bowed her head, unsure of what she should do or say. "So..er…"

"I'll need a room to stay." Sherlock removed his jacket and Molly barely suppressed a gasp when she saw that inside he was wearing a tightly fitted waist coat over a starched white shirt. For some reason, the sight of Sherlock in well fitted waistcoat and shirt did weird things to her imagination.

"I have a spare bedroom for guests…I guess you can take that." Molly waved her hand in the general direction of the guest room which was adjacent to her own bedroom. Instead, Sherlock brushed past her and opened the door to her own bedroom. Molly followed him nervously as she quickly scanned the room over his shoulder for any signs of things which might…..embarrass her in front of Sherlock.

Nope. No sign or stray bras or dirty socks. No tampon lying around, either. She heaved a sigh of relief but it was short lived.

"I'll take this room." Sherlock said as his eyes swept over each and every surface of the room.

"What?" Molly squeaked out in a high pitched voice.

"I like the view." He murmured, his lips barely moving as he parted the curtain slightly with his pale, slender fingers and peeked out. His fingers….which Molly would love to feel in her hair while they ki-

_Get a grip on yourself_ She scolded herself mentally. _You are engaged to Tom, for heaven's sake!_

"So, do I have your consent to use your room for a day or two?" Sherlock cocked his eyebrow expectantly, waiting for an answer. As much as she tried, she couldn't quite grasp the fact that after two years…_two years_, she was standing in her house, in _her_ bedroom with Sherlock Holmes. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest at an uneven pace and her movements were fidgety.

"Molly?" Sherlock slightly inclined his head to one side. It was almost too much for Molly, who was already feeling overwhelmed, to hear Sherlock say her name in his deep, velvet smooth baritone voice.

"Yes, do as you please." She mumbled as she hastily turned around and walked out of the room.

_Tea. I need tea._ She decided as she dumped her bag onto the sofa. After washing her hands thoroughly and pushing back the sleeves of her shirt, she set water to boil in a tea pot and leaned against the counter top as she tried to slow down her heart rate.

_I'd never be able to survive these two days if I keep on acting like this…_She thought. Only Sherlock had the power to make her feel like this. As usual, he was being rude and offensive but somehow, he also appeared charming at the same time. Those quirky little smiles and intense looks hadn't passed Molly's notice. She was well aware of the fact that Sherlock Holmes was a highly manipulative human being and held a …a power, which was unknown to most. But this knowledge didn't hinder her from helping him out. Or rather, being manipulated into helping him out.

She was jostled out of her thoughts by the shrill whistle of the tea kettle. She quickly turned off the stove and poured the boiling water into a tea pot.

"Two sugars, black with a slice of lemon, thank you."

She almost dropped the boiling water on herself as she heard his voice just behind her. When she turned around, she found herself practically nose to nose with the world's only consulting detective.

"I-I didn't hear you come in." She managed to choke out as she stared into Sherlock's stormy eyes. She swore to god, his eyes were unlike any she had ever seen. They were a unique shade of grey…almost silver with specs of metal grey and blue around the iris.

"They all say that." Sherlock responded as he reached around Molly's waist for something. Her breath caught up in her throat.

"What are you…" She trailed off.

"Getting the sugar cubes, obviously." He responded. Molly noticed that there was barely any space between their bodies and Sherlock's nose was almost skimming her shoulder as he leaned over her.

_Okay, this is perfectly normal. This is Sherlock, for Gods sake! He probably doesn't even feel attracted to females, let alone you!_

She exhaled loudly as Sherlock stepped away from her after retrieving the sugar cubes. He added two to his tea and one to her own.

"You noticed." Molly replied, resisting the temptation to break into a huge smile. Her jaws hurt from the effort and she turned away from him, letting her hair cover most of her face.

"Of course I did. That's what I do. I notice things." He replied in a tone which suggested that he thought Molly's intelligence level to be as good as a kindergarteners.

"Right, yeah." Molly nodded as she added milk to her tea and took a sip, almost scalding her tongue.

"You have some questions." Sherlock replied without even looking at her. Molly noticed how he puckered up his lips to blow air into his steaming hot tea before taking a sip. The simple act created such a suggestive and inappropriate image in her mind that she almost choked onto her tea.

"I do. Why me?"

"Elaborate."

Molly took a deep breath "Why me…I mean, You could have stayed with John-"

"Fight."

"Oh, yes, right. Well, you could have gone to Mrs. Hudson…."

"I am planning to." He replied simply, not choosing to elaborate his statement.

"Okay…." Molly shrugged.

"You're still curious as to why I chose you." Sherlock set his tea cup down onto the kitchen counter and turned to face Molly. His curly black hair cascaded down his forehead and stopped just above his dark eyelashes. He pursed his lips once before he started speaking "I chose to come here because….I wanted to say thank you to you. For all your help."

Molly looked away at that point due to the intensity of Sherlock's gaze. He had the unflinching ability to stare at a person or a thing without blinking for a long stretch of time. It was highly unsettling but that wasn't the only reason why Molly looked away.

"My pleasure." She replied, keeping her eyes fixed on her shoes. What else was she supposed to say?

"Save it." Sherlock muttered. "I am not quite done with my 'thank you'. And oh, did I mention that you will be temporarily providing as a replacement for my skull back at Baker Street?" And with that, Sherlock slipped out of the kitchen, leaving Molly speechless.

**So, I hope you guys liked the chapter! There are a few more to come to wrap this mini-fic up nicely. **

**Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Experiment**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Sherlock or any of its amazing characters. Damn.**

**Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! I am surprised at the amount of response this story received within one day of posting. I know Sherlock can be super rude and inconsiderate at times and you all are desperately craving some Sherlolly fluff but if I directly jump into all that, then it would mean swaying away from the integrity of the character(s). I hope you all will understand and bear with me!**

**As to Molly being more confident than before- yes I agree. When Sherlock returned to London after his apparent suicide, Molly was a lot more confident around him than usual. The story has just started people, just give me a chance to develop my characters :D Thanks!**

**Song recommendation for this chapter - Distance by Christina Perri**

**Enjoy**

"Your skull." Molly crossed her arms in front of her chest as annoyance streaked through her mind. Now that reality was catching up with her, and Molly was beginning to believe that Sherlock was really standing in front of her and that she was not dreaming; she was starting to get annoyed.

"Yes, the one back at Baker Street." Sherlock nodded without even looking at her as he took out his belongings from his bag which Molly hadn't noticed before. "An old friend, if you know what I mean." He muttered under his breath as he took out a suspicious looking container and stood up.

"May I use your refrigerator?" He asked her even as he moved past her and made his way towards the fridge, automatically assuming that he had the permission to do so.

"What for?" Molly stepped in front of Sherlock, effectively blocking his way. For once, she was glad that she didn't stammer or made a fool out of herself and was pleased –and surprised- with the firmness in her voice.

"Experiment." Sherlock said as his eyes locked with Molly's. "Obviously."

"Yes." Molly nodded, refusing to look away. "Right."

"So, let's not waste any more of our time…" Sherlock tried to brush past Molly but she blocked his way again.

_What am I doing? _She thought to herself as Sherlock frowned down at her. His vividly colored eyes still had the power to pierce right through her soul but somehow, she was starting to feel more confident with her actions. Since Molly had known Sherlock, she had always been the meek, hesitant, mousy looking woman in front of him who he easily dominated and manipulated to get his work done. As far as she remembered, she had always fancied Sherlock. Really fancied him. Until recently, she had taken all his insults, coped with his obstinate personality and had been subjected to harsh words on his side throughout the years.

"Sherlock…I want to say something." She whispered quietly as she wrung her hands together in agitation. The fact that he was staring at her without blinking wasn't making things easier.

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow in a perfect arch, silently questioning her about the contents of her thoughts.

"I am not the same Molly Hooper which you left behind two years ago." She began, surprised at how strong her voice sounded. "Things have changed. My…feelings have changed." She managed to get out without cringing.

"Feelings." Sherlock sneered uncharacteristically. "A waste of time and energy, if you ask me"

"For you maybe." Molly replied as she stepped out of Sherlock's way. "Not for me." She hoped that Sherlock would understand the hidden meaning behind her words- Molly Hooper was not to be played around with anymore.

Sherlock eyed her curiously, his eyes flitting from one angle of her face to another as if he was trying very hard to read her. She did her best to keep her face expression less although it was proving to be very tricky as Sherlock continued his analysis on her.

"The fridge is yours, then." She said quickly to break the silence. She turned around to leave the room so that she could gather her thoughts but she inhaled sharply as a warm hand closed around her wrist. She didn't turn around and instead closed her eyes as Sherlock drew her closer to his body until there was almost no space between them and his lips were right at her ear.

"I am failing miserably. This is not how it's supposed to go." He whispered, his lips barely grazing the upper portion of her ear. Her skin tingled sensitively and she tried her best not to faint right into his arms.

"What do you want, Sherlock?" She asked him as she still kept her eyes closed and reminded herself to breathe.

"John."

_Inhale. Exhale…what?_

"Huh?" She whirled around to face him, her eyes growing wide by the second. "Oh….oh! You should have told me earlier that you are…um…"

"What? No, no!" Sherlock ran a hand through his curly black fringes as he let out a frustrated sigh. "Married to my work, remember Molly?"

"Then…?"

"I need John! I need him here, standing by my side, interpreting all this -" He took a deep shuddering breath. "All this…I don't even have a name for "this"!"

"I've lost you, I'm afraid." Molly said after a short pause. She wondered where thing conversation was going because she could neither grasp the head nor the tail of it.

"Course you have." Sherlock shot her a withering look "And would you mind getting this cat away from me? It's ruining my shoes."

Molly's eyes widened as she looked dawn and saw that Toby, her male cat, was purring and clawing at Sherlock's trousers.

"I think he likes you." Molly managed to say between a fit of giggles. For some reason, the sight of Sherlock battling with a cat seemed hilarious to her.

"Oh for god's sake-" Toby had started to stretch and roamed around in circles between Sherlock's legs, rubbing it's furry little head against the material of his expensive, tailored trousers. Sherlock tried to step away from the cat but he just followed him, purring indignantly in protest.

"Okay, Toby go away now, you're bothering Mr. Sherlock." Molly scolded the cat half heartedly as she was thoroughly enjoying Sherlock squirm around.

"How funny, Molly, as if the cat would under-" Sherlock stopped mid sentence as his eyes followed Toby leaving the room. He slowly turned around to face Molly, clearly impressed.

"You have a great amount of influence on that thing." Sherlock observed as he folded his palms and placed them under his chin, clearly observing Molly's reaction.

"_Toby_." Molly stressed on the cat's name "And I suppose I do. Reminds me of something, now that you mention it." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She wanted to smack herself for her statement and she prayed that Sherlock would not notice the hidden meaning behind her words but of course he did. He was Sherlock.

"Molly Hooper, are you somehow trying to tell me something?"

"It would be best if you settle down now, I'll make us some dinner-"

"Just spit it out." Sherlock stated calmly, effectively cutting her off.

"I-I don't want to. Now, if you will excuse me…" This time, Molly brushed past Sherlock and exited the room. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto her face from the tap. It helped her relax a bit and cleared her head.

In the other room, Sherlock paced around in circles with his hands crossed behind his back. After his return to London, he had made a spontaneous decision to visit Molly at Barts Hospital. To be honest, he had been a little excited at the prospect of seeing her. During his time away from London, he had missed the city terribly but more than that, he had missed the people which made the city endearing to him. After coming back, he had been almost too confident that John would accept him with open arms but John's anger and his silent treatment had hit him like a huge wave of disappointment. And shock.

Hardly anything ever shocked Sherlock Holmes. He wasn't the world best and only consulting detective for no reason. But John's impending silence was gnawing at his mind day and night. To distract himself, he had decided to pay Molly a visit as he had been sure that at least Molly would be enthusiastic about his return. After all, she was one of the few who knew everything and she had played a central role in his escape from Moriarity. Initially, Molly had been excited. And flustered. And nervous. But Sherlock noticed that as the day progressed, her responses grew more firm and her behavior became more….stable?

This came as another shock to Sherlock as he was used to a fidgeting, flustering, out of breath Molly. What had changed in these two years?

Finally giving up, Sherlock pulled out his mobile and typed a text.

_I need to talk to you. Urgently. SH_

He went into his absurdly small contact list and sent the text to John's number. After a few moments, his phone vibrated.

_Piss off._

"Fantastic." Sherlock muttered under his breath as he contemplated his next move. He took a deep breath and typed another text.

_Could be a matter between life and death. SH_

He smirked as he sent this text. He was almost sure that John would come running to him after reading it.

_I am well aware of your methods, Sherlock. Now stop bothering me._

Sherlock cursed under his breath as he read John's text. The man was being utterly perplexing and totally impossible.

As a last try, Sherlock dialed John's number and waited for him to answer. After five rings, he picked up.

"John, I knew you'd pick up." Sherlock said as relief washed over him.

"Er….Sherlock, right? This is Mary actually." Came a female voice from the other end of the phone.

"Ah, Mary." Sherlock immediately switched back to his formal tone. "I assume John stormed off in a fit of rage after reading my texts and left his phone behind?"

Mary laughed at the other end "You're right. This man can be a little perplexing at times, if you know what I mean." She whispered, afraid lest John hear her and throw a fit.

"Precisely my thoughts." Sherlock said as a quick smile graced his lips. From what all he had been able to gather about Mary, she seemed perfect for John. The idea of relationship and marriages still made him cringe but if John did want to doom himself into an existence of boring normality and dull lifestyle, then Sherlock thought that Mary would be the perfect for him.

"So, would you like me to pass on any message to John on your behalf? I mean I can't guarantee that he will listen to me without flipping but…"

"No, thank you." Sherlock said and almost hung up but another thought came into his mind and his eyes grew wide as he fumbled with the phone "Oh, Mary?" He said, his voice taking an excited edge.

"Yes?" Mary answered at the other end, surprised by the sudden change in Sherlock's tone.

"I require your help in a certain matter."

"Dear me, Sherlock Holmes requires _my_ help? I am flattered." Mary said as she laughed.

Sherlock cleared his throat "How does one say thank you to a girl?"

He held the phone away from his ear as Mary unexpectedly broke into a fit of laughter. When her giggles subsided, she said "Oh Sherlock, no wonder John adores you so much. You're full of surprises!"

"You barely know me." Sherlock responded monotonously.

"Oh I know more than you can think. John never stops about you! If I didn't know him better, I'd assume he was harboring deep rooted feelings for you."

"I am quite sure you're exaggerating." Sherlock responded although this new bit of information brought a smirk to his lips. "Anyway."

"Oh yes, sure I would love to help you. Why do you need to thank her, if I may ask?" Mary asked him curiously.

"She helped me fake my suicide two years ago. I need to thank her help." Sherlock said without missing a beat, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh….right." Mary laughed uncertainly. "Okay….so, take her out for a dinner maybe? Or a movie?"

"Boring." Sherlock responded immediately as he rolled his eyes. "I personally find it perplexing at how a normal human brain works. Don't you get tired of going on dinner dates and movies over and over again?"

" ." Mary said, her voice sounding a bit firmer than before "Would you care to tell me how many dinner or movie dates you have been to in your entire life?"

"Irrelevant question." Sherlock said, checking the time on his watch.

"If you haven't experienced it yourself, how can you label it as boring?" Mary questioned him, already sounding exasperated.

"I don't need to experience it to know how boring or dull it is." Sherlock scoffed. "I like to utilize my time to do other, more important things."

"Okay…think of it as an experiment, Sherlock."

"An experiment?" His interest piqued as soon as he heard the word. "Ah, I see."

"Yes. Now listen to me very carefully and do as I say…"

X_X_X_X

After eating a quite dinner by herself later that night (Sherlock had stated that he was not hungry when she asked him and had locked himself up in Molly's room after that.), Molly decided to call Tom. She had been ignoring his calls and text messages all day and the weight of her engagement ring seemed to grow heavier and heavier on her finger as the day progressed.

She dialed Tom's number and he instantly picked up "Molly! Where the hell have you been?" His voice sounded gravely because to the bad connection and Molly winced due to the amount of static present on the line.

"I am so sorry, Tom." She began after taking a deep breath "I know we were supposed to go out today…"

"And you backed out, as usual." Tom snapped at her from the other end, sounding extremely annoyed. "You could have just given me a call, you know. Could have saved us both the trouble."

"Tom, let me exp-" But before she could utter another word, the line went dead. She stared at the phone in shock as unwanted tears started forming in her eyes.

_The connection was bad, maybe…maybe he didn't hang up._ She tried to comfort herself but deep inside, she knew the truth. Tom was furious with her.

She decided to take a shower at that moment. The warm water would help her relax and clear her mind from unwanted thoughts. She wiped a hand under her eyes to get rid of any escaped tears; the last thing she wanted was Sherlock deducing how she spent her past hour due to the state of her eyes.

She collected a fluffy white towel from the cupboard in the spare room and headed towards the bathroom which lay between the guest room and her room. She patted Toby's head as she passed the sofa. The cat had settled into her favorite spot on the cushion of the sofa and purred at Molly when she scratched his head. This sight gave Molly a little initiative to smile and after one last pat, Molly resumed her journey towards the bathroom. She yawned once as she opened the door and stepped inside. Her eyes were growing heavy with sleep and she had a busy day ahead of her.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes flew wide open at the sight in front of her. Her tiredness was long forgotten as she gawked at Sherlock's half naked and dripping wet form in front of her. Sherlock was standing in front of the bathroom mirror with just a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair were wet and slicked back over his forehead, indicating that he had freshly showered. Their eyes briefly met in the mirror's reflection and Molly instantly looked away as a deep red blush crept over her face and neck.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry I should have knocked-" She gasped as she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him, very intent on bolting out of the bathroom.

"You've been crying." Sherlock's deep and calm voice over ruled her mumbled sentences. "Stop." Sherlock said quietly as Molly started walking away.

Sherlock's slightly wet hand closed around her arm as he turned her around to face him. Her heart hammered in her chest as thousands of possibilities crossed her mind. Weird, inappropriate and highly sexual possibilities.

She almost fainted when Sherlock cupped her face between his hands and made her look up into his eyes. "I told you that you should have postponed your plans." His warm, peppermint scented breath washed over her face. She blinked twice and clutched onto Sherlock's arms as she swayed dangerously. She was starting to feel light headed all of a sudden and even the tips of her ears had grown tomato red in embarrassment.

"I…" Molly's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the two wonderful, multicolored orbs. At a distance, his eyes appeared to be a sparkling grey color but now that she was so close to him, each any every individual color of his iris was visible to her. Around the pupil, his eyes were an alarmingly beautiful shade of green and little specs of metallic blue and silver surrounded it, all blending in perfectly to form a unique color. Sherlock's hands felt very cold against the warm skin of her cheeks, and she still had no idea what she was doing with Sherlock standing in front of her, their faces barely inches apart….

"Swollen eyes, red veins lining the sclera, heavy lids. You clearly need to sleep, even if it's boring." Sherlock mused to himself as he let her face go. Molly looked away and inhaled deeply.

_Of course. He was just analyzing my condition, nothing else. Silly me._ Molly thought with a pang of misplaced disappointment. She wasn't supposed to feel this way about him. Not now.

The bathroom's atmosphere was steamy and she couldn't help but throw covert glances in Sherlock's direction. His skin was marble white under the bathroom light and she noticed that his built was slender yet muscular. His arms and chest were well toned and displayed honest hard work rather than hours of buffing up at gym.

"You should probably get dressed." Molly choked out as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Why, does my being naked bother you?" Sherlock chuckled throatily as he stepped past Molly. The towel around his waist slid dangerously low and was almost at the verge of falling. "It wouldn't bother me, if you were in my situation." And with that, he turned around and walked away, tightening the towel around his waist just before it slipped down. Molly exhaled as she weakly sank down against the wall and rested her head against her knees.

"You'll be the death of me, Mr. Holmes." She murmured to herself as she tried to gather her nerves.

Unknown to her, Sherlock was still listening just around the corner. His lips pulled up into an amused smile.

"Interesting." He said to himself. "Very interesting."

**So, things are heating up a bit! I will try to post chapter three as soon as possible and it goes without saying- your reviews are highly motivational! I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive and I would love to hear your suggestions guys! **

**Thank you for reading!**

**Lots of love,**

**Vera. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Unexpected**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Sherlock or any of its characters. **

**Hey y'all! Sorry for the delay, I was busy with boring college stuff. Somehow, words like "Boring" and "Obviously" have become my favorite. I wonder why XD**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews and follows/favorites guys! I love you all!**

**Enjoy.**

Molly tossed and turned on her bed for hours but sleep never came. Whenever she felt herself drifting off, her eyes shot open and she sat right up in her bed with her heart hammering in her chest. She kept remembering how close she had been to Sherlock. Close enough to feel his cool breath on her own lips and distinguish between the mesmerizing colors which swirled together to form a beautiful shade in his iris.

At three am, there was a knock on her door. Molly, who already had been awake, shot up straight in her bed.

"_Tell him that it's not an appropriate time to talk and that you will talk tomorrow morning. Go on, say it."_ She thought to herself.

"Molly? May I come in?" Sherlock's muffled voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Of course! Come in." Molly heard herself reply. "_Stupid, STUPID!"_

Molly hastily pulled her nightgown on as Sherlock walked in. To her surprise, he was clad in a bed sheet from shoulders to toes. Molly couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculous sight in front of her.

"Well Molly, I guess you must have deduced why I am visiting you at this hour of the night?" Sherlock asked her as he shut the door behind her. They were plunged into sudden darkness and Molly could just make out Sherlock's silhouette from the moonlight streaming in through the window.

"No…I…" _This isn't happening. I am dreaming. I am dreaming. It's SHERLOCK for god's sake!_

"No, you're not dreaming." Sherlock replied impatiently. Molly almost slapped her forehead with her palm. Had she been talking out loud?

"Sherlock, I am seeing someone currently." Molly said very quickly as she pulled the bed sheets around her narrow frame. Her breath got caught in her throat as she felt Sherlock sit down at the edge of her bed.

"Congratulations." Sherlock mused, his tone not changing one bit.

"I don't think we can-" Molly stopped in between her sentence as a blush spread out over her face.

"Why not?" Sherlock asked her in his no nonsense, cutting edge tone that left no room for argument. "I am cold, Molly."

"Wait….what?" Molly's eyebrows shot up as she tried to comprehend the meaning of Sherlock's words

"Wake up!" Sherlock seized her by her shoulders and shook her lightly "Your brain seems to function even slower when you are half asleep."

"I…what….um…" Molly spluttered as she blinked her eyes and tried to steady herself against Sherlock's firm yet gentle grip.

"I am cold, Molly. I need something to wear." Sherlock finally replied with exasperation creeping in his voice.

"Oh." Molly breathed out. She noticed that Sherlock's hands were still at her shoulders. "I thought…never mind." She laughed breathlessly. What had she been thinking?

"No, tell me. What did you think?" Sherlock pushed her back into her bed as she tried to get up.

"N-nothing that you should know." Molly replied, instantly regretting the choice of her words.

"Ah." Sherlock said after a pause.

"So, you need clothes, right." Molly finally got up from her bed and switched on the table lamp as she tightened the belt of her night gown around her waist. Her cheeks were burning and were probably tinged bright right due to her embarrassment. Had she really thought that Sherlock Holmes was visiting her in the middle of the night to seek sexual favors?

She threw her cupboard open and started ruffling among her clothes. Finally she took out an oversized pink silk dressing gown which had been a gift to her from Tom.

"Will…this do?" Molly asked Sherlock hesitantly as she held out the gown to him.

"Pink again? Seriously?" He wrinkled his nose in distaste as he eyed the gown in my hand as if it were a venomous python.

"That's all I've got." She snapped at him, surprised at how firm she sounded. "So either take it or let me sleep."

"Fine." Sherlock replied in a bored voice as he snatched the dressing gown out of Molly's hand and left the room without another word. Molly waited for him to come back but when he didn't she switched off her lights and just sat there in the darkness. Sleeping was out of question now and after a while; she got up with curiosity burning inside her and decided to take a look outside.

With sneaky steps, she tiptoed to her bedroom door and pulled it open an inch. There was no sign of Sherlock anywhere. She stepped outside and made her way to the bedroom-_her bedroom_- where Sherlock was staying for the night. The door was partly open but the lights weren't on. She decided to take a peek inside and pushed the door open, cringing as it made a squeaking noise.

_I need to oil the hinges first thing tomorrow morning._ She made a mental note to herself as her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside.

"Hydrogen." Sherlock's husky voice reached her ears. She blinked as hey eyes focused on his sprawled out form on the bed. The whole room was a total mess. Bits of papers with Sherlock's elegant scrawl were littered all over the room and there was a pile of books on the table which were definitely not hers, judging by their titles. A microscope resided on the table beside her table lamp and at her feet lay the sheet which Sherlock had carelessly abandoned after changing into her dressing gown. Her….pink dressing gown. She stifled a giggle as light from the hallway fell on Sherlock's asleep form. He looked ridiculous in the pink satin coverage and the gown was a bit short for him, ending at his knees. To her utter surprise, her cat Toby was there on the bed too and was contently sleeping beside Sherlock with his head resting on his thigh.

Molly quickly took out her phone, intent on taking Sherlock's picture but she almost dropped it when she heard Sherlock murmuring.

"Helium…"

"Ex-excuse me?" She stuttered but soon realized that Sherlock wasn't awake. He was talking in his sleep. This caught her interest and she inched forward to hear him more clearly.

"Lithium….Beryllium.." he droned on without a pause.

_Oh my god….he is reciting the periodic table in his sleep!_

"Molly."

She stopped dead in her tracks. She was sure that there was no element named "Molly" in the periodic table. Was he awake, then?

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was still sleeping and was taking long, deep breaths. She waited for him to say something else but when he didn't, she opened the camera of her phone and took a picture of Sherlock, giggling under her breath as she did. She felt really stupid doing so but she couldn't let a moment like this slide by.

"Goodnight, Sherlock." She whispered as she closed the door behind her. She checked the time and saw that it was almost four am. Great.

She decided to make herself a cup of tea since she was awake and had nothing better to do. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen counter while she waited for the water to boil. A sudden vibrating sound made her frown and she turned around and saw that Sherlock's phone was vibrating on the kitchen table. He must have left it there earlier. The caller id displayed John's name and she battled between waking Sherlock and taking the call herself. After all, it could very well be an emergency as John was calling at such an absurd hour.

She peeked inside Sherlock's room once again but after seeing his peaceful expression, she couldn't bring herself to wake him up and decided to take the call herself.

"Sherlock?" John's annoyed voice questioned at the other end, not giving her a chance to speak. "You bloody git! What in the name of Christ have you been talking about to Mary? She is acting all mysterious around me and wouldn't even tell me! I swear to god Sherlock, if you try and cause problems between me and Mary-"

"John, John it's me, Molly! Calm down!" Molly gave a nervous laugh. What was John talking about?

"Molly? Oh god…I am so sorry." John's voice lowered down three octaves as he muttered his apologies. "Wait, how do you have Sherlock's phone?"

"Um…he's sleeping. In my bedroom."

"Wait…what? Sherlock is sleeping?" Molly could practically imagine his eyebrows vanishing in his hairline due to the shock. "In _your_ bedroom?"

"No! I-I didn't mean it like that-" she spluttered as her face grew red. "He is just lounging here for a day or two. I have my own bedroom." She added quickly before John could jump to other conclusions.

"Oh. Right, yeah." John said and an awkward silence followed his words. "Right so…tell Sherlock I called."

"I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." John said and the line went dead. Molly kept the phone back on the table top and frowned. Why was Sherlock talking to Mary? How did he even know her?

After gulping down her tea, she made her way to her bedroom. _Maybe it would do me some good to catch a couple of hours sleep before my morning shift at Bart's. _She thought morosely as she slipped underneath her covers. She took out her phone and smiled when she saw Sherlock's photo. She had gained enough significance in his life to make him dream about her.

X_X_X

"Good Morning, Molly Hooper." She groaned and added a pillow on top of her head as bright sunlight flooded her room. It physically pained her eyes to endure such bright light after getting only a few hours of sleep.

"What are you doing, Sherlock? Oh god…" She threw the pillow away and sat up in her bed "What's the time?"

"A little after nine thirty, I suppose." Sherlock said after glancing at his wrist watch. He was immaculately dressed in a new black suit and Molly had no idea where he got that from as he was carrying no spare clothes with him yesterday.

"Oh my god!" Molly exclaimed as she almost fell out of the bed in her hurry to get out. "I was supposed to be at Bart's an hour ago!" She swore under her breath and it made Sherlock raise his eyebrows.

"Molly-"

"Not now, Sherlock." Molly brushed past him as she headed towards the bathroom to brush her mind was racing ahead of itself, trying to decide many things all at once. _What will I wear?...No time for breakfast…..will have to ask Mrs. Beaver to water my plants…._

She went into the bathroom and hastily shrugged out of her clothes for a quick shower. She was in the middle of removing her t-shirt when Sherlock barged in without notice. A small scream escaped her mouth as she tried to cover herself."Sherlock, what the-"

His eyes didn't waver from her face "You have the day off."

"No I….Can you turn around please?" She stammered as she clutched her T-shirt to her chest.

"You have the day off, I ensured it myself." Sherlock said as a small smirk pulled up the corner of his lips. "And, nudity doesn't appall me, Molly."

"I…you…" Sherlock turned around and left, leaving behind a very red faced and embarrassed Molly.

After locking the bathroom door behind her, Molly took a quick, cold shower (and checked the locks on the door twice, just in case) and dressed up casually since she had the day off. She went to the living room and kept her eyes fixed on the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Whenever you feel like looking up Molly…"

Molly's eyes shot up and she was met with the most…well unanticipated and impossible sight. Sherlock Holmes was standing in front of her with a bunch of red roses in his hands.

"Roses.." Molly whispered, unable to move from her spot.

"Your ability to distinguish between different varieties of flowers is quite extraordinary, I must say." Sherlock said as he held out the roses for Molly.

"Is this for an experiment?" Molly asked him as she accepted the roses from him. Her cheeks were almost the same color as that of the rose petals.

"You could say that." Sherlock smirked, as if he enjoying a private joke. He sniffed the air once as he stated "You smell like vanilla. It's nice."

Without another word, he turned around in one swift, elegant motion and walked into the kitchen. Molly followed him inside and if the Sherlock's previous gesture had left her speechless, then it was in no way of any comparison to what she saw now.

A fully fledged breakfast was laid out on the table. There was cereal, scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast, buttered toast and obviously, tea._ There was even a lit candle on the table._

Molly's jaw went slack as she turned around to stare at Sherlock "You…you made all this?"

"Obviously." Sherlock replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Sherlock Holmes…handing out flowers and making breakfast. Maybe hell had frozen indeed.

"Are you all right?" Molly laughed nervously as she touched Sherlock's forehead with the back of her hand to check his temperature. Sherlock raised an eyebrow in response and Molly quickly retrieved her hand.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't have to be necessarily sick to prepare breakfast or perform any other mundane task." Sherlock said as he placed his hand on the small of Molly's back and gently guided her towards the table. She sat down and stared at all the food with wide eyes.

"Breakfast? This is a whole meal!" Molly exclaimed as she started piling up her plate with different things. "I didn't even know that you cooked."

"You're exaggerating now." Sherlock rolled his eyes as he took a seat opposite Molly. She noticed how he had deftly avoided answering her question but she let it pass. She was too bewildered.

"What's all this about?" Molly asked as she took a sip of her tea. Everything on the table was according to her liking. She enquired Sherlock about the same.

"I've known you for years Molly. And it also helps if you have superior observational skills." Sherlock replied casually as he formed a steeple out of his fingers and rested them under his chin.

Molly took a bite of the French toast and almost moaned but caught herself just in time, blushing at how inappropriate it would have sounded.

"Eleven." Sherlock muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing of importance." He replied instantly, his mouth curving into a smile which vanished within the next second, hence telling Molly that it was a superficial one.

"Aren't you eating?" Molly asked him after swallowing her toast. Sherlock's behavior was really intriguing her today. Not that it didn't on any other day as well.

"No." He replied in a flat tone "Eating early in the morning slows my brain down and anyway-" The fake smile was back on his face "I am saving my appetite for later."

"For what?"

"I am taking you out for dinner this evening." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Molly choked on her tea and to her embarrassment, some of it streamed down her nose as she coughed and spluttered. She was too taken in by her coughing fit to react to the light touch of a hand on her back. When her coughs finally subsided, she wiped her streaming eyes and wiped under her nose with the sleeve of her t shirt.

"I would have broken that to you later on if I knew that you'd that a reaction like that…" Sherlock mused as he handed Molly a handkerchief. "Interesting material for an experiment-"

"Dinner?" Molly squeaked out. "With you?"

"Problem?" Sherlock asked her as he lifted the tea pot and refilled Molly's tea cup. Oh dear God.

"No…it's just weird. You're acting differently." Molly clenched her left hand into a fist and suddenly, her engagement ring seemed to burn re hot on her ring finger.

"I am trying to be more…human, as John would have said." Sherlock smiled a real small smile which pulled up at the corner of his lips and brought a twinkle to his eyes.

"Why?"

"Dear god, you ask more questions than a kindergartener!" Sherlock got up from the table and dusted his suit "And before you ask me how I know that, I'll just say that I had the misfortune of dealing with a child of six for a case." Sherlock paused and shuddered dramatically "Never. Again."

"I think that kids are quite adorable…"

"Don't try to make conversation, Molly." Sherlock said with a pained look on his face "It's not a field in which you excel. Just eat."

X_X_X

Molly finished eating and she fell full to such an extent that she felt like her stomach would burst open any second. Rubbing her abdomen, she made her way out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Sherlock was lounging on the sofa and he muttered something unintelligible when he saw Molly.

"Sorry?"

"I'm BORED!" Sherlock burst out suddenly, making Molly jump four feet in the air.

"Oh god…" Molly clutched her heart "Don't do that again, Sherlock."

Sherlock ignored her. "I am bored. I need a case, John."

"Molly." She cleared her throat "It's Molly, not John."

"Oh, did I say John? Don't mind me." Sherlock waved a hand as he slumped back onto the sofa. "I need a case so badly that I can probably commit a murder, if that's what it takes."

"And solve it yourself?" Molly chuckled as she sat down on an armchair beside him.

"I want a case. I need a cigarette!" Sherlock bellowed.

"Sherlock!" Molly felt anger rise within her as she glared at Sherlock. "Don't even think about it."

"You're not my mother." He sneered and kicked over one of the pink cushion off the sofa. He flexed his hand involuntarily and traced his fingers over his skin where a nicotine patch would have been. "So shut up."

"Well, I am not your mother as you quite correctly pointed out but in case you haven't noticed, you are lounging at my house and if you don't want me to kick you out this instant-" Molly stopped herself before she went too far. Her chest was heaving and her face was slightly red, the cause being anger this time.

"Molly-"

"Forget it, Sherlock. You can do as you please." And with that, Molly turned around and went back into her room, slamming the door behind her in the process.

Sherlock just stared after her with an expression of pure bewilderment on his face before he took his phone out and quickly typed a text.

_Got her roses. Made breakfast. Didn't work._

_-SH_

After a while, his phone beeped, signaling a text.

_Oh dear. What did you do wrong?_

_-Mary_

_I don't know. Just said I am bored and asked for a cigarette._

_-SH_

_You might be a genius but u r totally tactless around a girl, Sherlock._

_-Mary_

_I'M BORED! I need John!_

_-SH_

_John is mine._

_BTW, guess what?_

_-Mary_

_John shaved off his stupid mustache, I presume?_

_-SH_

_He totally did! Thanks Sherlock :P_

_Now go apologize to Molly._

_-Mary_

_Okay, shut up now. I need to concentrate._

_-SH_

**I couldn't help adding a text conversation in the end. Haha.**

**I hope you guys are liking this story? I know I took a long time in posing this chapter but come on, give this girl some break! *cries alone in a dark corner* **

**Review, if convenient. If not, review anyway. XD**


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